When pronounced with the accent on the second syllable, "appropriate" is an adjective. When pronounced with the accent on the last syllable, "appropriate" is a verb that describes an inappropriate action: take possession of by force, as after an invasion.

Both the definitions and example sentences for "argue" and "argument" are for reasonable ways of talking and thinking. But both the verb and noun can also refer to disagreements and fights that can get loud and ugly.

And how do you compare the
benefits of vegetables versus fruits?Washington Post

"Benefit" and "advantage" are synonyms (see list for Words 1-10). Both are used as nouns in the example sentences here and in your workbook, but they can also both be verbs that mean "to be helpful or useful to."

Winning the World Cup would be
cause for the world’s biggest street party.Time (Jun 9, 2014)

A cause can also be a goal that people support and work toward. A soccer goal is too small to be considered a cause. But the goal of winning the World Cup and bringing honor to one's country could be considered a worthy cause. If that happens, then that would be a reasonable cause to have a really big party.

Sometimes that can pose the most difficult
challenge because you can only advance to a level that your mind perceives is possible.Forbes (Jun 10, 2014)

Note the letters of the word "call" are also in "challenge"--this might be helpful for remembering that you can challenge someone by calling the person out for a contest or fight. Or you can challenge an idea by calling attention to it and demanding an explanation. Both "call" and "challenge" can be used as nouns or verbs.

Players create their own
character and try to save a city in which an addictive energy drink has turned everyone into mutants.Time (Jun 10, 2014)

What you're reading right now are characters (written symbols) on the screen. On a larger scale, you might meet characters (people) in real life, video games, or fictional works. On getting to know them, you might discover their characters (personal features that make them unique) that would help you figure out how they would act or how you might act towards them.

"Characteristic" is used as a noun here. But it has the suffix -ic which is characteristic of adjectives. As an adjective, it means "typical or distinctive." Eye color is a physical characteristic; members of the same family might share a characteristic trait of violet eyes.

Some have challenged Professor Whitehouse’s
conclusions, pointing out that teenagers are made to read and pass tests far too often.The Guardian (Jun 9, 2014)

Compare with "assumption" in the list for Words 1-10. Sometimes, the two words are used as synonyms. But keep in mind the given definition of "conclude" as a verb. This might be helpful in remembering that a conclusion usually comes at the end of a lot of thinking. A conclusion can also agree or disagree with an assumption that had been made earlier.

People can contribute in so many different ways: money, resources, thoughts, or actions. The contributions can be made to so many different things: charities, classroom discussions, baseball games, fields of knowledge...

"This will not
define us. While it is a temporary challenge, this will not break us. We will recover and we will be stronger."The Guardian (Jun 5, 2014)

The definition in your workbook focuses on explaining the meanings of words or ideas. This is usually a fine thing to do. But in Latin, "finis" means "end, limit" (seen in "final" and "finish"). This is why people do not want to be defined.

During a
demonstration on stage, developers showed off the new abilities of the game’s protagonist, Sackboy, including flying and wall-jumping.Time (Jun 9, 2014)

In Latin, "monstrare" means "to show"--this is the most important part of the verb "demonstrate" and the noun "demonstration." A demonstration can show that something is true, show how something works, show how a group feels, or show military force.

The definition given here is similar to the one in your workbook about changing and growing. Almost everything that already exists can develop; this includes the changing and growing of people, animals, countries, situations, or ideas. But you could also develop something completely new, such as technology or an essay. The most important thing to remember about development is that it is a process that takes time and energy.

He told her to be more polite and not to
elaborate on questions that could be answered with one word.Washington Post

When the last syllable "ate" is pronounced with a long "a" sound, "elaborate" is a verb. When the last syllable is pronounced to sound like "it" then "elaborate" is an adjective. An elaborate idea or thing has been carefully developed with lots of rich and complex details.

Even most people who claim to understand it can’t clearly
explain it, and you can forgive a certain amount of confusion.Slate (Jun 9, 2014)

Compare with "define" and "elaborate" in the list for Words 31-40. All three words have similar meanings, but each needs a different amount of details. Explaining something usually needs more details than defining it. Someone who is explaining should stop once something is clear, while someone who is elaborating would go on to add extra details to make the point prettier or more powerful.

Compare with "cause" in the list for Words 11-20. As this example sentence shows, the two words are synonyms. They are used as nouns here, but they can also both be verbs. As a verb, "factor" is used with the preposition "in" or "into" (for example: speed factored into the crash).

"So his loss is going to have a huge
impact on his friends, his classmates, the staff and the wider school family."BBC (Jun 9, 2014)

Compare with "consequence" in the list for Words 21-30. As the definitions here and in your workbook show, the presence of force or strength is important for an impact. An impact can happen immediately and last a second or millions of years. A consequence must come after something else (note its connection to sequence).

All the kids in the program,
including my sisters and me, giggled.One Crazy Summer

See the definition for "including" in your workbook. I am not including the other definitions for the word. But as you can guess, the same word can both have different definitions and be used as different parts of speech.

Compare with the synonym "demonstrate." As the definitions in your workbook indicate, the act of showing is important to both verbs. But note the adverb "probably" in the second definition for "indicate." This suggests that you should choose the word "demonstrate" when you want to make a stronger point.

The given definition of "issue" is the one most people think and talk about. But "issue" has many definitions both as a noun and verb, and most connect to an idea of going out. An issue of a newspaper goes out to the readers; the issue of a person can be children or other creations that go out into the world. You can issue a noise or smell that goes out to other people's ears and noses; the government can issue supplies that go out to the army or the country.

When you communicate, do people believe that you are telling them the
objective truth?Forbes (Jun 10, 2014)

A possible answer to the question is: That depends on my objective (here, "objective" is used as a noun to mean "goal"). If my objective in communicating is to entertain, then I don't need to convince an audience that my stories are objective truths. If my objective in communicating is to report a crime, then I do need to convince the police that my descriptions are objective truths.

Compare with "convince" in the list for Words 21-30. In your workbook, the definitions for both words are the same, except that each word is used as a synonym to explain the other. But the definitions here show that there used to be a difference between the verbs: you can convince someone that something is true, but you need to persuade someone to do something.

Compare the definition here to the one in your workbook: they mean the same thing, except this shows that you can produce events or effects as well as physical things. For example, farmers can produce produce (the second "produce" is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable and is a noun that refers to fruits and vegetables). If farmers produce quality produce, then they can produce a healthy change in people's diets.

Except for farmers, whose products are called "produce," everything created by everyone else are products. A product can be a consequence of something you did or something that you create for yourself. But most of the time, a product is some kind of creation that can be offered to others for sale or use.

Looking over the sentences on page 160 of your workbook, you might notice that most of them describe reactions that are negative. Look closely at the word, and you can see that a reaction is a response to an action--this could make the reaction seem opposite and negative.

Compare with "appropriate" in the list for Words 1-10. The two adjectives can be synonyms. But "appropriate" has a more negative tone often used by others who think they know what is good for you. "Relevant" has a more positive tone that connects something directly to you, and it is often used to describe something that wants to remain connected throughout time.

Compare with "react" and "reaction" in the list for Words 71-80. As you can see from the definitions, the words are synonyms. But unlike the negative tone that a reaction might have, a response is often a positive thing that people look forward to receiving.

As a noun, "review" can refer to the act of looking at something again, or it can refer to the document that is created afterwards. For examples, scientists can review another scientist's research and then write a review about it; or a critic can view a movie and then write a review about it.

"Revise" and "review" can both be traced back to Latin roots that can be broken down like this: re (again) + videre (to see). Both actions require a second look, but revising usually comes after a review has pointed out that something can be better.

There is a
significant amount of research into the relationship between the words we chose and the personalities we possess.New York Times (Jun 11, 2014)

The second definition in your workbook is for a noun but "significant" can only be used as an adjective. Sometimes, being large can make something seem significant. But often, you need to look past size to figure out how important something actually is. For example, the significant amount of research done on word choice and personalities does not guarantee that the research would have any significant impact on the way people communicate.